How many times have you experienced when someone says they are going to do something and then they do the exact opposite?  The next thing that runs through your mind in these situations is, can I trust what that person has to say?  As Christians engage the world we live in, the world is looking at our actions not only our words.  When our words and our actions line up, our words have meaning and truth.

The primary thesis in James 1:22 is “do not merely listen to the word.  Do what it says.”  We can know the Bible inside and out but if we do not do what the Bible teaches it is completely worthless.  Our knowledge must be accompanied by action. 

Direct download: Listening__Doing.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:35pm CDT

Words are like toothpaste.  Once they are spoken, they don’t go away. You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube any more than you can put words back in your mouth.  As we continue our study in James, we are challenged to use our ears more and our mouths less.

How do you want your words to be heard?  Do you want your words to be life-giving to others or painful?  When you interact with your spouse and children, do you want to be heard and helpful?  Listen more and speak less.  What a simple formula, but it can be difficult to actually apply it.

Direct download: Listening__Speaking.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:52pm CDT

Last week we started the series in James called Wholeness.  The book of James is written to believers with incredibly practical instruction on how we are to live out our lives.  James opens with how we endure trials of many kinds.  We all go through trials and must learn to let perseverance finish the course.  This week we are going to look at some specific trials, the testing of our faith through wealth and temptation.

God seems to turn our worldly economy on its head when the Bible talks about those who have a higher status and a lower status.  The poor and the meek have a high status while the rich and powerful must take pride in their lowly status.  Regardless of whether you consider yourself rich or poor, we have been given divine instruction on how to stand firm in the testing of our faith.

Direct download: Tests_1.13.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 6:46pm CDT

Struggle. Trial. Hardship. We would love to think that if everything were going the way it was supposed to go, we would not experience these unfortunate events. For some reason, we think that when hard times or struggles come, it must be bad. In our hearts, we know this isn’t true. Sometimes bad things just happen. Sometimes your car breaks down. Sometimes relationships are strained. Sometimes we lose a loved one, but that doesn’t mean something has gone wrong.

What if trial and struggle happen when something is going right? In James, we learn that trials are NORMAL. James even argues that it is as valuable as pure gold. Join us as we start our series exploring James. This will be the first of what will be a holistic perspective on the Christian life as we study the book of James.

Direct download: Trials_1-6-19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:29pm CDT

We often view leadership as something only a select few must do. We can all be leaders, right? In a sense that is true. However, Jesus communicates and models truths about leadership in his entire ministry. In another sense, we all are leaders to some degree. Many of us are mothers and fathers, leading our families and homes. Many of us are in professions where we lead others and direct others. If you are a student, you have the opportunity to lead teams and lead in the classroom. Leaders are everywhere. How can we be great leaders in our families and the world we live in? Jesus modeled perfect leadership. In this sermon we are going to discuss Jesus and leadership. Jesus turned many of the ideas of leadership upside down, so be prepared to be challenged!

Direct download: Jesus_and_Leadership_12-30-18.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:09pm CDT



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